Vatican-Russian relations to upgrade to full diplomatic ties

(December 4, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to upgrade relations between the two sides to full diplomatic ties, the Holy See said after the two met in the Vatican on Thursday. A communiqué from the Vatican press office said that during the "cordial" discussions, it was "agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Russian Federation." The two sides have maintained representation below the rank of ambassador since 1990. Natalia Timakova, the spokesperson for the Russian president, confirmed that Medvedev "asked the foreign ministry to lead discussions to establish the relations and raise the level of representation to apostolic nuncio and embassy." The Vatican reported that Benedict XVI and Medvedev also spoke of the international economic and political situation, also in the light of Pope Benedict’s encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate', a Russian copy of which the Holy Father presented to the president. They also talked about the current challenges of security and peace and cultural and social questions, such as the family and the contribution of faith to Russian society.